Crimean rescuers discover emergency beacon of sunk bulk carrier

Search operations may be stopped by Monday evening, rescuers say

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SEVASTOPOL, July 31. /TASS/. Rescuers have discovered an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) and a radar search and rescue transponder (radar-SART) of the Anda bulk carrier that sunk on Saturday near Crimea’s shore, Sevastopol Maritime Rescue Sub Center of the Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport told TASS on Monday.

"The Purga vessel of the Federal Fishery Agency entered the search area in the night. They lifted an emergency beacon and a radar search and rescue transponder (from the sunken bulk carrier - TASS) during the night. Rescue operations continue. The last crewmember has not been found yet," the rescue center said.

According to the rescue center, the discovered devices have positive buoyancy, so they float on the water surface, and can be located by their signals. However, they do not contain any information on the reasons of the shipwreck.

Search operations may be stopped by Monday evening, rescuers say. "There are norms of a person being in water when he can be found alive. These terms have passed already, but we still continue searching operations," the rescue center added.

The Anda bulk carrier sent a distress signal on Saturday morning. The vessel under Togo’s flag was en route from Kerch to Tripoli, carrying grain. It had nine crewmembers on board - Syrian and Indian citizens. The vessel wrecked 22 miles south of Crimea’s Cape Sarych. A lifeboat with three crewmembers and a raft with five more seamen were discovered the same day. All rescued seamen, including the vessel’s captain, were transported to Yalta and put to Livadian State Central Hospital.

On Sunday, representative of the vessel’s owner, Anda Navigation Ltd (Turkey), Andrei Manenko told TASS that the lost ninth crewmember is a Syrian chief engineer.